intimately rearranged
by sakuraharunah
Summary: I've been waiting for this moment all my life - sasusaku month 2014
1. smell of fresh paint

Notes: This is the beginning of my contribution to sasusaku month 2014. Hopefully this year will be great and a lot of great stuff will be produced!

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><p>Wiping the sweat from his forehead before it could trickle into his eye, Sasuke eyed the long staircase in front of him, a frown deeply etched into his face. Readjusting the large box full of books, he made his way up to the top floor and stopped in front of the last door in the hallway. Toeing open the cracked door, he grunted as he hoisted the heavy box into the apartment and onto his new and very heavy kitchen table.<p>

The sharp smell of paint hit Sasuke as he looked through the box, shuffling the contents around to see if Naruto took any of his stuff when he wasn't looking. Looking up from his work at the table, he could hear Sakura lightly humming in the bedroom down the hallway and made his way over to her.

"It's really starting to look great in here, right?" Sakura took a step back to admire the half-painted wall. "I feel like this color brightens up everything in the house."

"It's just beige."

"It is not _beige_, Sasuke. This color is a totally warmer color than that other one you were looking at. This color is more sandy, whereas the first one you chose was a depressing greyish beige."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow up at her. "You're crazy. They were the same color but with different names."

Sakura leaned over to pinch Sasuke's cheek. "What would you do without me? You're so lucky I was there to help you pick out paint."

"I would've picked out one of the many beige colors and it would've looked just like this." Sasuke gently pushed her hand away, lips tilted in a smirk.

"Okay, we'll see how you feel when you realize your home renovation skills completely suck and you need me to help you with everything." She pointed her paintbrush at the door, stern look adorning her face. "Now go get the rest of your shit so we can start moving it in here when I'm done."

"Heeeeeeey, where is everyone at?" Naruto's deep voice bellowed from the front door. "You guys better not be doing anything nasty or I'll whoop your asses. I swear I'll do it!"

"We're in here, Naruto! Please tell me you brought some of Sasuke's shit up here with you." Sakura poked her head in the hallway to stare at Naruto and groaned. "Of course you didn't. Sai, how about you?"

"Yes I did, Ugly. There's a giant pile of boxes down there."

"Well, you guys should be very busy while I'm finishing this room up. Get your asses down there!" Sakura turned back to the wall with a flourish of her paintbrush.

"I'll race you both! Let's see who the strongest and fastest person on the team is," Naruto bellowed as he rushed out of the room. "Oh, by the way, it's totally me."

Sasuke followed him out of the bedroom, muttering under his breath the entire way.

—

It turned out that Naruto not only made carrying boxes into a competition, but dusting Sasuke's things and washing the floors were two more of his games to crown the best shinobi of the team.

The first game of box carrying resulted in Naruto toppling halfway up the second flight of steps, knocking Sasuke down with him, and the two of them sprawled out on the floor, the boxes' contents strewn all over. Sai continued his way up the steps, stepping over Sasuke and Naruto's bodies and succefully winning the first round.

Naruto's second brilliant idea of a dusting contest had the three men all hunched over a whole bunch of various knick-knacks and books, their hands quickly skimming the items with a rag before moving on to the next one. Sasuke glared down at his pile, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He was so close to finishing his section, just two more…

And then Sakura came in and fell onto the floor with a burst of laughter, her hands clutching her sides.

All three heads shot up, startled out of their quiet contest by her giggling. Sasuke could feel his neck heat up as he realized how serious he was getting about winning the stupid "Cleaning Olympics", as Naruto called it. All three boys dropped their rags and walked away from the table covered in Sasuke's things.

"I can't believe you guys were dusting with that much intensity!" Sakura managed to gasp out between laughs. "I thought you were performing surgery."

Throwing his dirty towel at her, Sasuke glared at her pink face before going into the kitchen for a glass of water, his hand running over his neck in hopes of getting rid of the blush.

As he was gulping down the rest of his water, he felt Sakura come up behind him and slip one arm around his middle. Letting his arm fall back down to his side as he placed the cup on the counter, he could feel her press her face to his back.

"Aw, don't be embarrassed, Sasuke. I think it's cute that you're getting all excited about moving in."

Turning around to face her, Sasuke leaned in so that there were only a couple of inches between their faces. "Who says that I was embarrassed?"

Sakura's cheeks turned pink as she averted her eyes and attempted to take a step back.

"Who's getting embarrassed now, Sakura?" Sasuke slid his hand down her right arm.

"Sasuke, c'mon! We're gonna do the last round of the competition."

Pulling away at the sound of Naruto's voice, Sasuke made his way back into the living room, grabbing his towel off the floor where he threw it at Sakura.

"What's the last contest, Naruto?" Sakura asked while walking to the dining room table and taking a seat, hands busily braiding her hair and feet swinging.

"We're gonna see who can clean the biggest section of the floor! You can be the judge, Sakura-chan!"

"Oh, what an honor."

"Alright, get ready, you losers! It's time for me to whoop your asses."

Naruto began crawling on his hands and knees as fast as he could, his hands frantically scrubbing the wooden floor. Sasuke stared at Naruto as he whizzed around the room, his towel thrown over his shoulder and his bangs messily splayed on his forehead. Sai watched with interest, occasionally throwing out an inappropriate remark about Naruto.

After minutes of frantically cleaning, Naruto collapsed in the middle of the floor, his arms and legs splayed out and his chest heaving. Through pants, he managed to say, "I win, suckers."

—

As the last light of the sun slowly crept its way out of the living room, Sasuke and Sakura rested in the middle of the polished wooden floor, watching as the shadows darkened in the corners. Sai and Naruto had left a long time ago with the excuse that they had to get food soon or Naruto was going to die.

Feeling his back starting to get sore, Sasuke shifted a bit, his arm brushing against the soft skin of Sakura's own upper arm.

"It looks really nice in here, Sasuke. Good job," Sakura sleepily mumbled from her spot to Sasuke's left. Scooting in closer, she leaned her head against his bicep, letting out a warm sigh. "I can't believe you guys got through all that stuff today."

Angling his body toward her, Sasuke draped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Pressing a light kiss to her hairline, Sasuke tiredly grunted before burying his face in her hair.

Letting out a soft giggle, Sakura placed her hand on his chest and tilted her head to peer up at him. "Someone's being really nice today. What's gotten into you?" She poked his side.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not acting any different."

Her body shaking with a quiet laugh, Sakura made to pinch his cheek. "Okay, you always kiss me while we lay on the floor."

Intercepting her hand, he brought it down to his mouth, lightly brushing the back of her hand with his lips. "Of course I do."

Silence fell between the two, only their breaths filling the room with the rise and fall of their chests.

"I'm really glad that I got to help you today, Sasuke." A small smile graced her face.

Leaning in, Sasuke lightly brushed his lips over hers before he buried his face back in her hair, the smell of lavender, Sakura, and fresh paint filling his nostrils.


	2. late

Notes: This is super short bc I wasn't even going to write anything for this prompt. Can you guess what game they're playing?

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><p>"You have got to be shitting me!" Sakura screamed from her seat on the far left side of the couch. "That is totally not fair! What the hell is this shit?"<p>

"You just really suck, Sakura," Sasuke's lips quirked up into a smirk. "What was that about you 'whooping my ass into next year'?"

"Sasuke, I swear if you don't shut that pretty mouth of yours, I'm gonna glue it shut for you," Sakura snapped back, throwing her controller down in favor of pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. "And besides, you're clearly cheating in some way. Are you looking at my side of the screen?!"

"I don't have to look at your side when you literally scream everything you're about to do out loud." Sasuke threw his feet up on the coffee table, glancing over at the frustrated girl.

They had started the game right next to each other, but after about five minutes, Sakura had made a noise of disgust in the back of her throat and pushed herself to the far corner of the couch.

"Oh my god, yes! Here's my chance! Eat this Sasuke!" Sakura began to mash all the buttons on her controller, her tongue peeking through her lips and her eyes narrowed in intense concentration. "Ye-yes, NO!"

Dropping his controller onto the cushion, Sasuke turned to her, his lips pulling in to a taunting grin. "What was that, Sakura?"

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! WHY DO I ALWAYS RELEASE THE BANANA PEELS TOO LATE!"


	3. phobia

Notes: Eh, I'm not entirely happy with this one, but oh well. I've got too many prompts to do to be very picky.

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><p>It's going to rain, Sakura thought as she sniffed the warm summer night air. It smelled of damp grass and salty water and the air practically crackled with the pent up energy that was threatening to be released on the earth.<p>

"Hey, guys, I'm going to head home now. It's about to storm and I don't want to be caught in the rain."

Naruto looked up from his spot on the ground, "Aw, c'mon, Sakura-chan! We can train in the rain! How fun would that be?"

Letting her lips quirk up into an uneasy grin, Sakura nervously swiped the sweaty strands of hair from her forehead. "Um, no thanks. I need to head home to get some stuff done anyway. But you guys can have fun out here."

"But Sakura-chan, we used to always train in the rain! It cools you down before you can even get hot and sweaty. Come on, your work can wait."

"No, no. Really, I need to get home." Sakura quickly stood up and yanked her shorts down before walking off of the field, waving her hand in a final goodbye.

When she was halfway off of the training grounds, she felt Sasuke walk up next to her, slowing his long strides to match her own.

"Are you alright?"

"Hmm," Sakura looked up, eyes glassy in the yellow, stormy light. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem a bit jumpy," Sasuke replied, his eyes examining her in that way that made her feel like he was heating her insides and shooting lead through her limbs. His dark eyes suddenly narrowed and his hand rose up towards her neck. "You've got a cut."

Flinching away from his hand, Sakura quickly ducked her head and healed the wound with a swipe of her finger. Sasuke watched her with disapproval in his eyes.

"Sakura, are you sure—," he began before the sky lit up with a violent bolt of lightning.

Sakura's eyes instantly got wide and her body grew tense before she realized how ridiculous she looked. Trying to laugh off the situation, Sakura began to take quick strides and made an effort to keep her shoulders free from tension. She couldn't lose it here, not in front of Sasuke.

She felt him grab onto her wrist and spin her around as another strike of lightning cracked through the heavens and the thunder shook the earth.

"You're," Sasuke began, looking down at their intertwined hands. "You're afraid of the lightning because of me, aren't you?"

"Sasuke-kun, it's not—"

"It's because of me, isn't it? Sakura, tell me." Sasuke's deep voice was raw with emotion, cracking with the energy inside him.

"Well," Sakura began, her eyes frantically scanning the area for an excuse, for an answer that wouldn't completely break the man in front of her. "Yeah, but I'm working on it. I'll get it under control eventually; it'll just take some time."

"No." Sasuke's eyes were dark and hard as he stared down at her. "I did this, so _I_ have to fix it. I'm sorry, Sakura." He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry. I never meant—"

Pulling away from Sasuke's chest just enough so that she could slide her hand up to cup his jaw, Sakura let out a gentle smile. "No, it's alright, Sasuke-kun. Never blame yourself for this. You've taken the blame for far too much already."

She stepped away from his body, pulling him along in the direction of the village. "You know, the best way to get over a phobia is through exposure, so I'm going to need your help." Sakura gave Sasuke a gentle smile as another bolt of lightning broke through the clouds. She didn't even flinch.


	4. there was no warning

Notes: Thanks to Matthew Uchiha for reviewing every single chapter so far! You're the bomb. Also, this will have a second part, just fyi.

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><p>"No, Ino, I'm actually not kidding." Sakura raised her hand to shield her eyes as she stared at the empty road in hopes of another car coming her way. "Yes, I'm literally trapped in the middle of nowhere on the hottest damn day of the year."<p>

Feeling the sun brutally beat down on her body, Sakura closed her eyes and leaned against the side of her car, taking care to not let any exposed skin touch the hot metal. "I really wish I was kidding right now, trust me. When can you pick me up?"

Sakura examined her pretty lavender nails as she listened to Ino begin her long explanation of where she was and why she couldn't leave to pick her up in the middle of nowhere. She said something about having a date with a boy she just met at the mall and how he was " so, so pretty and she just couldn't possibly leave him all by himself."

"You're really going to leave me stranded here in this shitty heat for a boy _you just met?_"

"C'mon, Sakura! He's so pretty and if you saw him, you'd totally understand! Besides, why didn't you pull over at a gas station before you broke down?" Ino's already loud voice sounded louder over the phone causing Sakura to remove the phone from her ear.

"Okay, hold on," Sakura protested, putting her mouth directly near the microphone. "That is not fair, okay? There was literally no warning at all before my car just died."

"Well, that sucks for you, Forehead, but I'm gonna be a little while."

Yanking at her hair in frustration, Sakura glared at the rocks by her feet. "I will literally kill everything you love and take your favorite shoes in the process."

"You wouldn't dare, Sakura Haruno. You love literally everything that I love and my feet are normal sized, whereas you have freakish baby feet. So you wouldn't even—"

"Ino, shut up for one damn second. There's someone coming. Hopefully I can get them to give me a ride."  
>"Or they'll kidnap you and murder you in a forest," Ino snorted.<p>

"Ino, you sure are being the best friend ever today, aren't you?"

Pulling the phone away from her sweaty face, Sakura squinted her eyes, looking at the car that was slowing to a stop behind her. She watched as the driver opened his door and stepped into the blazing heat, his black sunglasses glinting in the sunlight.

"Oh my god, you're shitting me…" Sakura whispered, her green eyes widening and her mouth opening in disbelief. Raising her phone back up to her face, she could Ino blabbering on the other end, not realizing that Sakura had stopped listening a long time ago. "Hey, Ino, I don't need you to pick me up anymore."

"So I told Hinata that she— wait, what? Why not? Are you really talking to that stranger? Sakura, you really could be kidnapped! I was kidding when I said I wouldn't pick you up. Damn, girl, don't be stupid."

"Ino, chill out. He's not a stranger; it's Sasuke."

"Sasuke?! You mean your ex-boyfriend, Sasuke? Sakura, don't you dare—"

Sakura quickly pushed the end button on her phone and made her way over to Sasuke.

"Hey, can you help me with my car?"


	5. keepsake

Notes: This is super short, but let's blame that on the fact that yesterday was a holiday.

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><p>Sighing deeply, Sakura leaned back and stretched her legs over the edge of the porch. Her pink toenails almost appeared neon in the sun's dying purple and orange light, the chipped corners starkly contrasting with the paint. She let out another sigh and fell back until she could feel the grainy wood beneath her shirt. Sakura was exhausted; she had worked tirelessly all day just so that she could get off earlier than midnight, breezing through a mountain of paperwork in a matter of an hour and a half.<br>Raising her hand, she cupped the moon with her fingers, squinting her eyes nearly shut as the last rays of the sun finally retreated. He should be back soon, Sakura thought. The mission shouldn't have taken more than a week. Sakura closed her eyes, listening to the crickets begin their nightly song.  
>Suddenly, she heard the grass whispering the arrival of someone, their shoes dusting against the blades lightly. Sitting up with a smile, Sakura watched as Sasuke made his way to the porch, his posture slumped with fatigue but a smile gracing his lips. Pushing against the wood, she rocketed up and rushed over to him.<p>

"Hey," he drawled out, his half-lidded eyes watching her with amusement.

"I missed you," she whispered back, her hand going to cup his cheek. "You need to shave; you've got some stubble here."

Grabbing her hand, Sasuke's chest rumbled with a soft chuckled as his other hand delved into his pocket. "I got you something." He pulled out a white carnation, the edge of its petals dusted a light pink.

"Like you always do when you go on a mission," Sakura said, her left hand rising to take the flower. "Pretty soon I won't have anymore pages to press these flowers in." Smiling, she pulled Sasuke up the steps of the porch, intertwining their fingers.

"Well, I guess I'll have to bring you a new book with the next flower." Sasuke's tired voice rumbled behind her.

Laughing, Sakura spun around and pressed her lips to his, placing the flower on the open pages of her book.


	6. night in

Notes: What the hell am I gonna do for tomorrow's prompt?

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><p>Toeing open the door, Sakura threw her bag and stack of papers onto the tiny table right at the entrance of the apartment. "Sasuke, where are you? I hope you're ready because we have to—." She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes falling onto the man lying on the couch, his arm slung over his eyes and his body angled towards her.<p>

Slipping off her shoes, Sakura briskly made her way over to the couch and knelt down next to him. "Why the hell aren't you up and ready? Didn't I tell you that we're going to dinner with the rest of the team tonight?" She pulled at his arm, prying it away from his eyes and lowering it to his chest.

Sasuke groaned, "Yeah, you already told me." He attempted to throw his arm back over his face, but was stopped by Sakura's firm grip.

"Then can you please explain why the hell you aren't ready? Are you not feeling well?" She pushed his bangs back with her small palm and felt his forehead. "You don't have a fever."

"I'm not sick, Sakura." Sasuke ran his hand up Sakura's right arm, stopping to curl his fingers around her elbow. "I just don't want to go. Naruto's too loud."

Sakura sighed as she toyed with the ends of his hair. "We can't skip out on another dinner, Sasuke. Naruto will kill us and then probably make us go to dinner as a team every day for a month."

Yanking on her arm, Sasuke pulled Sakura onto the couch with him, burying his face into her hair. "I can just say that I was sick and you had to stay here with me."

Running her finger along his chest, Sakura smiled at the thought. "That would work if we hadn't used it two weeks ago. Naruto knows that you hardly get sick."

Sasuke groaned, his lips brushing against the side of her throat. "We'll come up with an excuse for the next time we see him. I just don't feel like going tonight."

Placing a kiss at his hairline, Sakura chuckled and smoothed down his bangs. "Okay, okay. We'll skip the dinner. Happy, now?"

Sasuke's chest rumbled in agreement, his arm tightening around her waist and his hands rubbing circles into her back.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door, followed by a voice bellowing, "Hello, you guys? I know you're in there! C'mon, we gotta go to dinner, and don't even try to give me a shitty excuse this time!"

Sasuke loudly groaned, while Sakura chuckled, pressing her face into his chest to stifle the noise.

"GUYS! I'M DEAD SERIOUS. I WILL BREAK IN IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE."

So much for a relaxing night at home.


	7. night out

Notes: I don't like this one.

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><p>Taking a seat next to Sasuke, Sakura stared into the flickering flames, her hands creeping underneath her thighs to protect them from the grainy log beneath her legs. She could feel the heat radiating from the fire, coming in waves across her face and brushing against her shoulders. Even though the fire was many times hotter, Sakura found herself focusing on the warmth emitting from Sasuke's body. She hadn't sat this close to him in a long time; it reminded her of missions with team seven back when they were young and almost carefree.<p>

"This is nice, isn't it?" Sakura asked nervously, her fingers fiddling with the ends of her hair. "We haven't all gotten together like this since…" She trailed off, not wanting to overstep her boundaries by talking about the past.

"Since I left." Sasuke finished for her, his dark eyes reflecting the orange light of the flames. His lips were pulled down into a pensive frown, which would have looked harsh on his face if not for the softening edges of the fire's light.

"Y-yeah, since you left." Sakura chanced a peek at him, her eyes hidden behind strands of sunset hair. "But it's really nice to be able to do this kind of stuff again, right?"

"Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves."

Sakura paused, struggling with her words so as to not upset him. When had it become this difficult to talk to Sasuke?

"Everyone but you?" She stared down at her sandals resolutely, refusing to look up and catch his glance.

Sasuke sighed, leaning back and placing his palms on the wood. "What would you have me do?"

Taking a deep breath, Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Well, you could talk to people."

"I'm doing that now."

Sakura chuckled, her hands slipping from underneath her thighs. "True. I guess you are, but I kind of meant other people." She felt Sasuke's arm stiffen to her right. "Not that I don't want to talk to you, but y'know I'll always be your friend. I just think you should make an effort to get to know the other teams. We're all really good friends now, and you missed out on that when you were…gone."

Sasuke smirked, his eyes reflecting the firelight with a mischievous gleam. "I think you're just saying that so that you don't have to talk to me."

Turning her head in his direction, Sakura's green eyes widened as she watched him smile at her. "You know damn well that's not it. I just want you to get to know everyone as well as I know them."

With a sigh, Sasuke lifted himself off the log, stretching his arms above his head in the process. "Fine. I'll go make friends." He took a few steps away from the fire. Not turning towards her, he quietly added, "But only because you want me to."

Sakura couldn't stop the blush from dusting her cheeks when he chose to stare at her while mid-conversation with Shikamaru. Thank god the flames already made her face appear pink or else Ino would've been very suspicious.


	8. the student becomes the teacher

Notes: This is based on the lovely Les' (a warrior queen) story called Snake Charmer, which is the best thing since sliced bread. Also sorry this is so late. I lost my power for a couple of hours and couldn't really do anything.

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><p>"Hey Sensei," Eiko drawled from her spot on the ground, her dark pink hair tangling with the damp blades of grass. "When did you start dating that medic nin from Konoha, what's-her-face?"<p>

"Her name was Satsuki," Ryuu interjected. "Or was it Sa…. Sa…"

"Her name's Haruno Sakura," Yukio offered, his eyes never straying from his sensei's face.

"Yukio's right, but we're not dating." Sasuke's eye narrowed as he watched Eiko and Ryuu give him incredulous looks.

"That's nonsense! I saw the way you two act together!" Eiko stood up, using her fingers to quickly swipe through the tangles. "There's no way you're not dating."

"Yeah, c'mon, Sasuke-sensei," Ryuu's blue eyes lit up deviously. "We weren't born yesterday. You guys have ridiculous sexual tension."

Eyebrows cinching together and lips tilting down into a deep frown, Sasuke watched as his students chattered about his "love life".

"Sakura's my old teammate, so whatever tension you think you feel is obviously wrong."

"Just because you guys are teammates doesn't mean that you don't wanna get with her, though."

Yukio's head whipped back and forth during the exchange, watching as his teammates cackled with glee every time Sasuke-sensei's ears turned a shade darker.

"Look, this is what you gotta do," Eiko said, taking a step towards her sensei. "You gotta take her out one night, act like it's just a normal time between friends, and then—"

Sasuke sighed, rubbing his hand over his eye patch. "Eiko, why the hell do you think I need your help with Sakura?"

"Because, _Sensei_, you don't seem like the type that knows how to get a girlfriend."

"And maybe getting laid will make you a little more relaxed," Ryuu added, his face split by a shit-eating grin.

Yukio sputtered and felt his face go hot. Looking at Sasuke-sensei, he wondered how the man could stay so calm while his idiot teammates were subjecting him to this sexual scrutiny.

"And what would either of you know about any of that?"

Ryuu's grin got impossibly wider. "Eh, I've been around the block a couple of times, Sensei."

"What the hell does that even mean, dipshit?" Eiko snapped back, her hands twisting her hair into a messy braid.

"Wouldn't you want to know?" Ryuu's eyebrows rose up in a very suggestive manner.

"I will literally kill you and then rip off your—"

"Guys, can you please not fight every five minutes?" Yukio quickly learned that the best way to stop those two from fighting was to interject as early into the argument as possible.

"Listen, dipshit, I don't know what 'block' you're talking about, but you certainly haven't had any experience with girls."

"Oh yeah? And how would you even know that, Eiko?"

"Because it's the most obvious thing in the world!"

As Eiko and Ryuu's voices clashed and Yukio sat stammering in the background for them to "please stop fighting, for the love of god", Sasuke sighed and began walking back to his office, his hand running down the length of his face. He didn't know what his students were seeing when he was with Sakura, but there was no way in hell that it was sexual tension. It just couldn't be.


	9. bravery

Notes: This is ehhhhh but I can't really worry about it right now because I'm behind in prompts!

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><p>Sasuke did not like being back in Konoha, and it was not because he still harbored a hatred for all of its inhabitants. No, Sasuke hated Konoha for a number of reasons, but that was not one of them.<p>

He hated how Naruto pounded on his door each morning, his smile wide and his voice obnoxiously loud as he yelled, "Hey bastard! I hope you slept well because I'm gonna whoop your ass today!"

He hated how the old lady down the hall would freeze every time he stepped out of his apartment, his hands full of scrolls and paperwork. She would stop whatever she was doing (sometimes she would be watering her plants right outside her door and let the water trickle down as she stared at him with wide eyes) and watch him until he was out of sight. Sasuke did not know if she was scared of him or harbored some weird fascination for the last living member of the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke hated being back in Konoha because when he went out to dinner with Naruto and Sakura, the other teams would be there waiting for them, their grins huge and their eyes bright. They would all share barbecue and drinks for a few hours, their conversation light and their pasts forgotten for a moment.

Sasuke hated how Sakura always looked so happy when he sat next to her at the restaurant, how any form of attention he bestowed on her made her green eyes sparkle and her cheeks rosy.

He hated how when he walked down the darkening streets of the village, he heard the overjoyed greetings aimed at him on his way home, the people in front of stores would stop what they're doing to flash him a smile and thank him again for "all that he's done." The children chased after him, their shrill voices raised in happy cries of "Sasuke-san! Our hero!"

He hated how every goddamn villager saw him as some brave hero when he wasn't. He was the farthest from it. He was a coward, a coward that wrapped his fingers around his teammate's throat. A coward that engulfed his hand in lightning and aimed at her defenseless back, aiming for the heart, aiming to kill. No, Sasuke was far from brave.

And the worst part about it, he wasn't even brave enough to fix the shit he'd broken when he left. He knew that Sakura loved him and he could make her happy, but he wasn't brave enough to take that step. Not yet.


	10. impulsive

Notes: This sucks, but what's important is that I'm now caught up on the prompts. Oh and I'm super excited for tomorrow's too.

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><p>It happened all of sudden one autumn day while Sakura was winding gauze around Sasuke's torso. They had been sparring roughly just a few minutes prior, Sasuke only agreeing to such an intense sparring match because Sakura had threatened that she wouldn't heal him for the next six months if he went easy on her.<p>

Quickly swiping at her cheek, Sakura healed the small cut, motioning with her other hand for Sasuke to sit down so that she could check his injuries. As she lifted the hem of his shirt with soft fingers, Sasuke watched her furrow her brow in concentration. Fully removing his dark long-sleeved shirt, she let out a low whistle, her green eyes wide as she examined the dark bruise coloring his ribs.

"I really messed you up with that last punch, didn't I?" She asked, her eyes focusing on her fingers lightly prodding at the discoloration. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. It must hurt like a bitch."

"It's not that bad." A rumble ran its way up Sakura's arm as Sasuke replied. "I've had worse wounds."  
>"Like when you were stabbed?" Sakura's green eyes seemed to sparkle as they flitted upwards to look at Sasuke's face.<p>

Sasuke let out a hiss of pain through clenched teeth as Sakura poked a particularly sensitive area. "Exactly."

"Stop trying to act tougher than you are, Sasuke-kun," Sakura laughed. "Clearly I did some damage to you today."

Grabbing the roll of gauze from her medic pouch, Sakura bent forward to wrap her arms around Sasuke. It was quiet as she began winding the bandages up from his stomach to his chest, only the distant sound of children shrieking during recess cutting through the silence.

Sasuke didn't know why he did it. Maybe it was because of the way her hair fell across her cheek, looking extra pink in the dying sunlight. Or the way the sides of her eyes crinkled up as she narrowed them in concentration. Or maybe it was because he couldn't stop himself from watching as she pressed down on her bottom lip with her teeth. Whatever it was, Sasuke found himself leaning towards her as she wrapped the last layer of gauze around his body.

Lightly running his fingers along her jaw, he pressed his lips to her own, dying to finally indent her lips with his own teeth. She dropped the roll of gauze as her hands crept up his chest.

When they broke apart, Sasuke viewed Sakura's rosy cheeks with a smug grin.

"Well, that was unexpected." She said, breathless and wide-eyed. With a laugh, she cut off the excess gauze and tossed it to the side. It was already forgotten about by the time her lips dusted over his.


	11. a night with no stars

This is the second part to the prompt "there was no warning". I kinda like this one.

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><p>"I can't believe we're in this situation," Sakura sighed, wrapping her arms around her knees as she leaned back against her tire.<p>

"How _you're _in this situation, you mean." Sasuke's reply sounded muffled from underneath her car.

She could see a bit of his exposed stomach as he stretched his arms upwards to tinker with the complicated car parts. Noticing that she was staring at his bare skin, she cleared her throat and turned her eyes towards the dark sky. "Hey, you stopped to help me, so now you're in it too. Consider yourself lucky.

Sasuke angled his body so that he could shoot Sakura an exasperated look, his lips pulled down into a frown. "Clearly the gods were looking down on me today."

Lightly kicking at his exposed side, Sakura let out a peal of laughter, her head tilted back to rest on the car. "You're still such a jerk. Guess that hasn't changed, huh?"

"And you're still hopelessly clueless about cars."

"Hey, we can't expect miracles now. It hasn't been that long since I last saw you, so I don't know why you would expect me to be a mechanic after seven months." Sakura sighed as she brushed her hair off of her sweaty neck. "Besides, I could still dissect anything way faster than you could."

Sasuke slid out from underneath the car, a smirk on his face along with splotches of grease. "Yeah, but when the hell are you going to have to dissect something this late at night in order to get home?"

"Whatever," Sakura pouted. "You're just jealous because you know that's a super cool thing to be able to do."

Sitting up, Sasuke grabbed at his old T-shirt that he found in his car and wiped his face. "Once again, that's not the most helpful skill for everyday life."

Sakura sniffed and playfully turned her face away from him. "How rude."

Watching her with interest, Sasuke threw his dirty shirt down and fell back against the ground, his arms under his head as a pillow.

Joining him on the hard ground, Sakura felt the absorbed warmth from the dirt soak into her limbs. "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you since January."

Sasuke let out a deep sigh. "Same as always. Always working. Always making sure Naruto doesn't get into too much trouble."

Rolling onto her side to face him, she brushed her fingers through his hair. "Still not getting enough sleep either?"

"Of course not." He turned his head to pierce her with a heated gaze, his dark eyes narrowed and mouth in a firm line. "How about you?"

"Same as always," Sakura's smile was sad as she watched her fingers slip from his hair as he moved his head. "I'm taking summer classes and working, and when I'm not doing that, I'm out with one of the girls."

"Don't you ever take breaks? You shouldn't be doing so much during the summer."

Sakura took a deep breath, hesitant to reply. "It helps to keep my mind off things. Y'know, like our…" she raised her hand in an awkward gesture. "Like our breakup."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a while, his dark eyes smoldering the night sky in thought.

"Sorry," Sakura chuckled, her hands coming together to nervously tap her fingers. "I sure made that awkward."

"I'm sorry."

Sakura watched with wide eyes as Sasuke's hand clenched into a fist by his side.

"I'm sorry that I've made it so hard on you."

"Don't be, Sasuke. It's fine, really. If it wasn't working out for you then of course you shouldn't force yourself to be with me."

"It wasn't that. It was just…" Sasuke took a deep sigh, his breath whooshing over her face. "I don't know, but it wasn't because of you."

Grabbing at his tense fist, Sakura pried it open and twined their fingers together. "Well, maybe we can start over again."

"Yeah, maybe we can."


	12. silver lining

Notes: Not what I was aiming for initially, but eh. it'll do. now what the hell to do for the prompt "drowning"

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><p>"Y'know," Sakura began, her mouth full of rice and chicken. "It's a good thing you left the village to train with Orochimaru."<p>

Sasuke looked up from his own bowl of food, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

Seeing his questioning expression, Sakura took another bite of rice, her lips pulled up into a smile. "Do you wanna know why it was a good thing?"

"I don't know," Sasuke placed his chopsticks on the table and leaned back in his seat. "Do I?"

"Well, I guess we'll find out when I tell you." Sakura also put her chopsticks down with a tap on the wooden table. "Do you want to have a guess why before I just tell you?"

"I don't know," Sasuke sighed, running his hand through his dark hair. "Is it because you got a couple of years of peace without me and Naruto?"

Slapping at his arm, Sakura threw her head back, letting out a peal of laughter. "Of course not, Sasuke-kun."

Feeling his own lips lifting into a smile, Sasuke watched her with amusement. "Okay then, why?"

"Well, the first reason is because you leaving made me want to train under Shishou and get stronger."

"Sakura, you would've eventually done that if I hadn't have left."

"Hey! You don't know that!" Sakura sat up straight in her chair, pulling her hair over her shoulder to play with it. "Anyway, the second reason is because I wouldn't have realized that I love you so early, and I definitely wouldn't have told you."

"Once again, that's debatable."

"Can you just be quiet and listen to my reasons?" Sakura placed her right hand over his mouth, her fingers stroking his cheek. "And the third reason is that if you hadn't gone with Orochimaru, then you would still think I was annoying and we wouldn't be together right now."

Grabbing her hand, Sasuke brought it away from his mouth and pulled her from her spot around the table. "Now I know that one's completely wrong."

"It is not! You're just not seeing—"

Tugging on her hand again, Sasuke pulled her into his lap, his right hand coming up to trace her jawline. "Nope, I'm right. I haven't considered you actually annoying for a _very _long time, and that includes when we were thirteen. And if I hadn't have left, I know we would've been dating a lot sooner."

"You can't know that," Sakura mockingly replied, her voice faltering slightly when his hand dipped behind her neck to play with her hair.

"Yeah, I can," Sasuke leaned in close, his lips brushing against hers. "Because I already liked you before I left."

"You're such a liar." Sakura's voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes half shut in anticipation.

"You can't even confidently say that," Sasuke watched as Sakura's cheeks began to redden. "You weren't conscious when I left."

He kissed her before she could voice her argument.


	13. drowning

Notes: this is dedicated to the countless hours of schoolwork that I have had to do and will have to do in a little over a month. (also I'm excited for monday and tuesday's prompts)

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><p>Burrowing her head into her arms, Sakura took a deep breath, inhaling the musty smell of old, tattered books in the process. She could do this; just a few more chapters and she'd be done with studying for this damn test. And then she would be free from this organic chemistry class for the rest of her life. She sucked in another breath, imagining that she was absorbing the written information underneath her. Thinking on how much she's already crammed in her head and how much more she had to do, Sakura began to panic. She felt her chest tighten and her eyes begin to sting, clear signs that she was about to lose it and cry in public.<p>

_C'mon, Sakura, get it together._ She shook her head, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater in the process. _You're more than halfway through all the material. It's the home stretch now._ Breathing in deeply, she raised her head, patting at her hair to make sure that it didn't look ridiculous from her mini meltdown.

Flipping to the next chapter, Sakura was met with the wonderful image of complex compounds and long strings of protein. Leaning her chin in one hand, she blankly stared at the page, desperately trying to keep her frustration in check. Why the hell was organic chemistry so hard? And did she _really_ need to memorize this information?

As Sakura bent over a particularly intricate diagram, she heard shoes shuffling through the bookshelves behind her. A cup of coffee was placed directly on her messily scrawled notes.

"Thought you might need this by now."

Looking up, Sakura weakly smiled at Sasuke before taking a gulp of the scalding coffee. "You're a life saver, you know that?"

Smiling at her exaggeration, Sasuke took a seat and pulled some of the loose papers towards him. "How else can I save your life while I'm here?" He lifted up a piece of paper, waving it in front of his face. "Do you want me to quiz you?"

Grabbing at the notes, Sakura piled all of the papers together into a neat pile and rested her face on it. "I'd rather you put me out of my misery and kill me."

"It can't be that bad."

"Hey, y'know organic chem is not my thing, Mr. I-can-memorize-every-organic-molecular-compound-thingymajig."

"The studying's obviously improving your vocabulary as well." Sasuke leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his own coffee.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura whined, her eyes big and lips pouty. "You weren't supposed to come here to make fun of me. I'm already having a difficult time without you being a smartass."

Sasuke pushed her messy bangs away from her face, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "Alright, alright. Where do we start?"

Two hours later, Sasuke realized that he had made a terrible mistake. They still had three chapters to review.


	14. his side of the story

Notes: the world cup just ended. also she's the man is the best movie of all time. (this will have a second part)

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><p>Throwing the ball up into the air, Sasuke watched it as it made its way back down to the ground, his stance ready to meet it halfway and kick it. His legs tensed up as he crouched down lower, his eyes never leaving the ball and his body preparing to leap.<p>

He was going to perfect this kick even if he had to stay out here in the field for hours. Failure was absolutely not an option.

"Hey, Bastard!" Naruto bellowed, sprinting towards Sasuke and jumping up to hit the ball into the goal with a header. "Are you ready for tryouts today?"

Glaring at Naruto, Sasuke relaxed his stance and retrieved the ball from the net, dribbling it back over to his original spot.

"I just want to get this shit over with so I can actually play soccer."

"Aw, c'mon!" Naruto whined, flicking his foot out to steal the ball. "Tryouts are fun! There's always at least one guy who can't play worth shit, but he still thinks he's awesome."

"Tryouts are pointless. We already know who's going to be on the team."

"Hey, you better stop being so cocky, asshole!" Naruto replied, his hand going up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "Someone might take your position this year because you're too confident."

"That's impossible. It's always the same every single year and it won't be any different this time." Sasuke turned from Naruto, focusing his attention once again on perfecting his kick. It better turn out the same this year or Sasuke would raise hell. He'd been playing soccer since he could remember and he'd been the main striker for all of his competitive teams. There was no way that he would not get the position again this year.

"Hey, look! Everyone's finally making their way over," Naruto cupped his hand over his eyes to block the glare of the sun. "Oh my god, Sasuke…" Laughter broke free from Naruto's lungs until he was gasping for air.

Looking at the group coming over, Sasuke scanned their faces, trying to see what caused Naruto to collapse on the ground with laughter. In the midst of plenty of black t-shirts and blue shorts, he spotted Sakura making her way across the field, her pink ponytail swinging and her little spandex shorts riding up with every step that she took.

.

.

Two hours later and a lot of self-control to not watch every move Sakura made, Sasuke was sitting down in the grass with the rest of the tryouts, right in between Naruto and Sakura. Naruto he could handle; he was big, hairy, sweaty, and smelly. Not something he wanted to look at. But Sakura, she was too much. Her face was flushed from running, and her shorts were _way too high_, and she had such nice legs, and he really needed to stop thinking about her right now.

Snapping out of his daze, Sasuke slightly shook his head and tried to focus on Coach Iruka.

"Alright, so Lee is our goalkeeper this year. And now the last two spots, my first and second forwards. The two people who I chose this year were very closely matched, so it was a very hard decision." Iruka cleared his throat, tucking his clipboard underneath his arm. "Our first striker, like always, is Sasuke. And our second striker for this year is Sakura, who is also the first girl on the team ever. So very good job, Sakura!"

As everyone grabbed their sports bags and tiredly made their way back to the locker rooms, Sakura ran over to Naruto and Sasuke, her lips pulled into a huge smile.

"Can you believe it? I made it on the team!"

"That's so great, Sakura-chan! You were kicking ass out there!" Naruto exclaimed, ruffling her hair in congratulation.

"Thanks, Naruto." Sakura turned her attention towards Sasuke. "Hey, guess we're gonna be seeing a lot of each other, huh?"

Sasuke quickly glanced over at her flushed face before curtly replying, "Just don't mess our chances up this year." He readjusted the strap of his bag and quickened his steps, leaving the other two behind.


	15. her side of the story

Notes: Lemme go lay down for eternity after this chapter. also this is a continuation of his side of the story.

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><p>Sitting underneath the bleachers, Sakura fiddled with her chipped nail polish as she waited for Ino to finish her group project. Feeling sweat begin to form at the base of her neck and on her forehead, Sakura scooted farther into the shade and let out a loud sigh. It was too damn hot to practice today, and she didn't have the luxury of being able to go without a shirt for practice either. She might be able to get away with one of her sports bras. Maybe if she begged the coach enough, then he would let her practice without the heavy jersey today.<p>

Pulling the edge of her shirt over her head, she heard the sound of a soccer ball being bounced on the plush grass. Making sure that her hair didn't get stuck, she finally freed her body from the heavy jersey and looked over at the field. Uchiha Sasuke was a few feet from the goalie's box, his stance tense as he watched the ball begin its descent. He jumped into the air, extending his leg in an attempt to strike the ball but missed by a few inches. Sakura watched as Sasuke huffed in annoyance and did the action again and again and again.

Pushing against the hot concrete, she got up and made her way over to her teammate. Swiping at the stray hairs on her forehead, Sakura called over to him. "Hey, can I practice with you while I'm waiting?"

When Sasuke turned to look at her, she could see that his face was flushed and a bead of sweat was making its way down his temple.

"I noticed that you've been practicing that kick for a long time now and I thought I might be able to help."

"I don't need your help." Sasuke turned away from her and lightly kicked at the ball.

"C'mon, Sasuke! We're teammates now and we should help each other out." Sakura took a step forward, placing her foot in the way of the ball. "I can help you with that and you can help me with my headers. How's that?"

With a sigh, Sasuke turned to her and said, "Fine."

They started out with Sasuke's problem; Sakura showed him how she managed to hit the ball at the right moment and helped him with his timing.

"That was a lot better, Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, her smile wide and blinding in the sunlight. "You can totally use that in games too!"

Stealing the ball from him, she began dribbling it down the field, her lips pulling into a smile as she realized that he was following closely behind. Sprinting down towards the goal post, Sakura quickly tapped the ball in the other direction and followed after it, leaving Sasuke behind. A peal of laughter left her throat as she felt his body pressed against her while running. Turning to the side to look at him, she was stunned to see that his own lips were pulled into a smile and his eyes were bright with excitement. Her feet began to falter and she tripped over the ball, her hands going to protect herself from the collision, when she felt Sasuke grab hold of her and pull her towards his chest.

Looking up at him in astonishment, she managed to whisper, "T-thanks, Sasuke."

Sasuke's mouth opened in reply, but Naruto's voice echoed from across the field before he could say anything.

"Hey, guys! Can I get in on the action too?"

Sakura felt as Sasuke slowly slid his hand off of her arm as he stepped away, his eyes covered in shadow as he stared down at her.

"I can show you how to do headers tomorrow," he said, his hand going up to scratch at his hair. "If you want to."

Smiling widely, Sakura vigorously nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great."

"It's a date then."


	16. indestructible

Notes: this is literally a drabble, but eh it's alright for like 15 minutes of writing. besides, i needed to write something about the recent chapter.

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><p>In the dark, Sasuke lays there on his side, watching the rise and fall of her chest. Her shoulders move with every breath that she takes and he watches every one in intense concentration. In the dim light of the moon peeking through their dark curtains, it's hard to view Sakura as the warrior that she is. When she is sleeping, she looks so soft, so vulnerable, and it takes all of Sasuke's willpower to not scoop her into his arms and never let go.<p>

She shifts in her sleep, moving the blanket to the side to escape from the heat. As she does this, her little tank top lifts up, exposing her stomach to the moonlight. His eyes move towards her hip then, tracing the outline of her scar with his gaze. He can hardly see the mark anymore, just the slightly raised skin giving it away. He wishes that he could have been there that day. To see her in all her fierce glory as she defeated an Akatsuki member using only her small fists. He can imagine what she looked like though, all pale, lithe limbs and blazing eyes.

She shifts her arm, reaching for him even in sleep. He watches as the pale light of the moon settles on her upper arm, illuminating the scar much bigger than the one on her pelvis. The scar on her arm glows with a soft pinkness, not as healed and inconspicuous as her other one. As Sasuke looks at it, he remembers how she got it, how she had given it her all to get him back. Her eyes were determined and hardened as she pumped all of her chakra into keeping the portal open for a few seconds longer. And then he caught her and everything was right.

Sasuke lightly runs his finger along her arm, his lips lifting into a smirk as she nudges a bit closer to his body. She is a warrior and she is indestructible. And thanks to her, she is lying here with him, scars marking her body as mementos.


	17. monster

Notes: I love Harry Potter and I might continue this with another prompt. We'll see. Also I changed my pen name from bootybertholdt to sakuraharunah.

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><p>Adjusting the scarf around her neck, Sakura made her way down the large hill towards the students all huddling near each other for warmth. As she got closer, she saw Ino violently waving her hand in a sea of red and gold scarves, her own scarf loosely tied about her neck fashionably.<p>

"Hey, forehead! Over here!" Ino loudly called, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "I have something to talk to you about!"

Sighing, Sakura pushed open the wooden gate and stepped into the enclosure, careful to not step on any giant piles of poop. Pushing her windswept hair away from her face, Sakura raised her eyebrows at Ino's exuberance. "Why are you so excited?"

"I could ask the same for you, you know," Ino flicked her long ponytail back over her shoulder, almost smacking Naruto right in the face. "You sure do have a spring in your step recently, don't you?"

Scrunching her face in confusion, Sakura pulled her scarf tighter to her body. Why the hell did they have to have class out on the grounds today? "If you're talking about the way I came down the hill, everyone has to walk like that right there. The hill is too steep to walk normally."

"No, Sakura! I'm not just talking about you walking down here." Ino smiled mischievously. "I've seen you all throughout the castle and you just generally look happier. Do you have any idea why?"

"I don't know what you're trying to get at, Pig."

"Hmm, you don't?" Ino tapped at her chin, her eyes raised to the sky in mock contemplation. "Well, a little Cornish pixie told me that they saw you and Slytherin prefect Sasuke Uchiha getting fairly…cosy in an empty corridor the other day."

Ino smile turned devious at Sakura's reaction. "Oh, it looks like you may know something about it."

Feeling her face heat up, Sakura quickly turned away from her best friend, making an effort to stare up at the castle. That was a mistake however because as soon as she turned, Sasuke began his descent down the hill towards the class.

"Oh, look who it is, Sakura!" Ino exclaimed, her long fingernails digging into Sakura's shoulder in excitement. "Why don't you go and talk to him?" She gave her a rough shove in Sasuke's direction, a cackle leaving her lungs.

Sakura whipped her head behind to pierce Ino with a glare before she turned back around, her lips pulling into a charming smile. "Hey, Sasuke. How are you today?"

"Pretty good." Sasuke made sure to keep his distance. He and Sakura agreed that it would be best if their houses didn't know about them yet. "I would be better if I was inside."

Chuckling, Sakura agreed with him and made her way back into the warm circle of students. Fiddling with the tassels of her scarf, Sakura snuck a peek at Sasuke. What was she supposed to say to him in front of all these people? They weren't supposed to really even know each other, let alone be super friendly. Just as she was about to open her mouth to remark about the long Potions essay that was due this morning, the Care of Magical Creatures professor came out of his cabin, his body wrapped in a thick fur coat.

"Alright, gather 'round, you lot. We've got a lot to do today and little time to do it." He motioned them to circle around five crates. "Now, today we're going to start our study of a new magical creature called the Blast-Ended Skrewt. And these little guys are pretty dangerous so be careful, alright?"

Lifting the lids off of the crates, the students all began to make noises of protests.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"I've never seen nor heard of a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

"Is this even legal, Professor?"

"Now I don't wanna hear you all complainin' about these little guys." The professor picked up one of the creatures, stroking its hard shell. "You'll all be pairing up to take care of one of them for about a week. So choose your partner and choose your skrewt."

Sakura turned to Sasuke, her face scrunched in worry. "Want to be my partner and help me deal with this monster?"

Sasuke nodded and walked over to the crate to scoop up a particularly mean looking skrewt. "This is going to be disastrous," he said, dropping the creature on the ground between them.

"You can say that again." Sakura crouched down to poke at it. "It's so gross looking. Where did he get these things?"

"However he did, I don't think it was legal."

Laughing, Sakura went to touch the skrewt on its side when a tongue of fire shot out. Staggering back, she grabbed at her blistering hand, tears stinging her eyes.

"Shit! Professor, Sakura was burned. She needs to go to the infirmary." Sasuke placed his arm on her back, trying to get a good look at her hand.

"Alright, go ahead. You can take her up there, Uchiha."

Grabbing at her good hand, Sasuke helped Sakura through the gate and up the hill. Looking back, Sakura saw the entire class watching their retreating forms with open mouths. They all seemed stunned that quiet, brooding Slytherin Sasuke was helping someone, a Gryffindor at that! Scanning her eyes through the crowd, her gaze was met by Ino's own, her lips pulled into a smug grin. Oh god, she would be unbearable at dinner.


End file.
